By Chester Seaton, News

12/15/282- A mob descended upon the steps of the Crowndon Capital building yesterday. Spurred on by egregious reports coming from rogue actors outside of the Empire, they demanded that the Imperial Ruling Body answer for alleged actions taken at the Klankenvroot factory last month, as well as the recent sentencing of the traitor Maurice Merchant.

The streets of Crowndon have seen much unrest in the last week, but this was the first time the demonstrations had reached the Capital. While such demonstrations are not necessarily legal, they are often overlooked unless they present a clear and present danger to government officials or the citizens involved. Clearly, the unruly horde that descended upon the building, hurling insults and rocks alike, constituted such a threat.

In response, our valiant city watch deployed its newest asset, the Gladstone Aerial Reconnaissance Device (or G.A.R.D., rebranded from A.R.A., trade marked by Gladstone Enterprises) upon the crowd. The magnificent devices, operating completely autonomously, took position over the crowd and out of their reach, and deployed a payload of noxious powder derived from basilisk lotus pollen and diluted Barrier Tuna oil. The mixture proved too much for the rabble to handle, and they were quickly dispersed. The city watch reports that no one was seriously injured, and arrests were few, though the smell of the tuna oil will likely result in weeks of scrubbing the Capital’s front steps with tomato juice and the lawn must be completely replaced.

“We knew the pungency of the barrier tuna would prove problematic,” Argathal Gladstone said, when asked about the performance of his machine. “I’m still working on the right balance for the concoction. Other than that, however, the G.A.R.D. worked wonderfully!”

Once the situation was resolved, the Watch quickly posted new guidelines for public demonstrations, namely that they are strictly forbidden for a time to be determined by the Imperial Ruling Body. Anyone caught engaging in disruptive political discourse will be promptly arrested and tried for sedition.